New Haven Man Sentenced to 78 Months in Federal Prison
for Distributing Heroin

APRIL 09 (NEW HAVEN, Conn.) - John J. Arvanitis, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England and David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Joshuwa Diaz, also known as “Fot,” 22, of New Haven, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge Ellen Bree Burns in New Haven to 78 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing heroin.

Diaz is one of 108 individuals charged as a result of “Operation Bloodline,” a joint law enforcement investigation targeting narcotics trafficking and gang violence in the Dwight-Kensington and Fair Haven sections of New Haven. Led by the DEA New Haven Task Force and the New Haven and Hamden Police Departments, the year-long investigation included the use of court-authorized wiretaps on numerous telephones, extensive physical surveillance, controlled purchases of narcotics, execution of search warrants and seizures of narcotics and firearms. The investigation revealed that Diaz conspired with others to purchase and redistribute heroin.

Diaz is currently in state custody serving concurrent sentences for violation of probation and criminal possession of a firearm. His maximum release date is December 1, 2013.

Judge Burns ordered Diaz to begin serving his 78-month federal sentence after his release from state custody.

This matter is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, Branford, Ansonia and Meriden Police Departments. The United States Marshals Service, the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Correction, Parole and Community Services and the Milford, Hartford, New Britain, North Branford and Stratford Police Departments have provided valuable assistance to the investigation.